This morning, First Lady Michelle Obama joined the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Acting Director Maura Marx to present the 2015 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Ten institutions from across the country attended the White House Ceremony to be recognized for outstanding service to their communities. These organizations demonstrate significant impact and high quality of programs, services, and partnerships, and were selected among thirty finalists. Robert Lynch, CEO of Americans for the Arts, attended the ceremony today. 

Register today for the 2015 Annual Convention, taking place June 12–14, 2015 in Chicago!

The conference will take place at the Chicago Sheraton, with more than 40 breakouts, three keynotes, three preconferences, two Workshop Intensives, a dozen ARTventure Tours, and an opening reception at the Museum of Contemporary Art! 

Get the conversation about encouraging creativity and ensuring arts education in your community with a new series of videos by Americans for the Arts. These videos convey the stories behind importance of arts education, as told by children whose lives have been postiviely impacted by the arts. 

Following the retirement of John Bryan this past fall, CultureWorks recently announced that Scott Garka will take the reins as the new President on January 20, 2015. Though Garka does not come from the arts field (he is currently the Senior Director for Consulting Services with Virginia Health Quality Center), he is very active in the arts community as a board member and treasurer for the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen.

From December 1-5, the Veteran Artist Program (VAP) will hold an art exhibit in the Capitol sponsored by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. The VAP will bring 30 pieces of veteran artwork to the Senate Russell building to be displayed in the rotunda until Friday, December 5. Thirty pieces of work were selected from more than 400 submissions and 30 states. Artists from World War II to current conflicts are represented; showcasing the creative talent that veterans possess before, during, and after their military service.

In October, Americans for the Arts and The Conference Board collaborated on two events focused on how the arts can advance business and community goals. On October 6, Bob Lynch hosted forty corporate leaders from the Corporate Contributions Council I at his home in Washington, D.C. for a dinner and discussion on arts education policy. We shared with them recent work in arts education including the new National Core Arts Standards.

In September, we held a call for nominations for our Network Councils. Now it's time for you, our members, to cast your vote to determine which nominees will be elected to the following four Americans for the Arts' Network Councils.

On behalf of Americans for the Arts' partnership with We Are Veterans, Bob Lynch, President and CEO, will join a discussion panel after the special screening of PBS Craft in America: Service at the McEvoy Auditorium in the Smithsonian American Art Museum on November 6, 2014.

October is National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM)! Throughout the month, several members of Congress have taken to social media to join in Americans for the Arts’ trending Instagram campaign to #ShowYourArt and encourage all Americans to partake in the vibrant and varied art happening locally and across the country, including Arts Caucus co-Chair Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Humanities Caucus co-Chair Rep. David Price (D-NC), Rep.

Arlington Sons, a moving musical performance accompanied by select ensemble members of the USAF Band, is currently touring the DC area, with performances at Arlington, VA on September 21 and the Bowie Theater in MD on September 25, 2014.

It's that time again: Americans for the Arts is seeking at least 200 partners to make this Arts and Economic Prosperity Study larger and more comprehensive than ever before--and we invite YOU to be a part of it!

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee today approved legislation restoring $8 million in FY15 funding cut from both the NEA and NEH. Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) secured the funding restoration within the non-controversial manager’s amendment offered by Interior Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA). Heading into the committee markup, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) was also prepared to offer an amendment to restore the cuts to the NEA and NEH. The funding restoration now returns each of these agencies to their current FY14 level of funding of $146 million for FY15.

Americans for the Arts is pleased to announce the 2014 BCA 10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America, which recognizes 10 businesses of all sizes for their exceptional involvement with the arts. The awards will be celebrated on October 1, 2014 at a gala presentation and dinner in New York City, which will highlight the ways in which today’s businesses are using the arts to inspire employees, stimulate innovation, and foster creative collaboration all across the country.

Consumers spend nearly $150 billion annually on entertainment and the arts. How does this breakdown to spending on the arts in your individual community?

On May 17th, Armed Forces Day, veterans traveled to Richmond, VA to use a hand-built ballista to launch physical symbols of their military service into a clay wall that will later be cast and become a tribute to veterans. The Veterans Impact Project made its debut at the Dominion Riverrock Festival. A collaborative project between Art on Wheels and artist James Robertson, it is the first art project of its kind to enable veterans to honor the military and to give them a platform to communicate their experiences.

Americans for the Arts, a leading partner in The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), will launch in partnership with NCCAS the 2014 National Core Arts Standards in a streaming webinar on Wednesday, June 4, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Join arts education leaders from around the country to learn more about the new standards. The event will feature interviews with a broad spectrum of arts education providers, including certified educators, teaching artists, administrators, national/state policy makers, and arts education advocates.

With 2013 ending, we at Americans for the Arts find ourselves grateful for so many great arts achievements this year. There are so many partners doing amazing work in towns, cities, and states across the country--and in reflecting on this work, we wanted to especially thank the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and its staff for serving as the national lynchpin for the whole US arts field.

Nolen V. Bivens, Brigadier General, US Army (Ret.), Americans for the Arts Board Member and Chairman of the National Leadership Advisory Council of the National Initiative for Arts and Health in the Military, was honored on Veterans Day in his hometown of Chesterfield, VA. He was presented the keys to the town, and was guest speaker for the event. He credited his mother with his success in life, saying she taught him the words he has tried to live by: ‘Stand up to speak. Speak up to be heard. And sit down to be loved.’

Last week, U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor circulated a memo to House offices outlining the chamber's proposed work schedule for June, including starting work on four FY14 appropriations bills.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, in conjunction with The United States Conference of Mayors, presented the 2014 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. James P. Moran (D-VA).

Americans for the Arts, in conjunction with the Congressional Arts Caucus and 86 national co-sponsors, celebrates Arts Advocacy Day 2010 today. More than 500 arts advocates from across the country are meeting with their representatives on Capitol Hill, calling on Congress to support arts-friendly legislation and policies. A highlight of the day is a congressional hearing entitled “Arts Build Communities” hosted by Rep. James P. Moran (D-VA), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior. Advocacy has been at the core of Americans for the Arts’ history and is one of the many milestones being celebrated during the organization’s 50th anniversary year. Arts Advocacy Day 2010 brings together a broad cross section of America’s cultural and civic organizations, along with hundreds of grassroots arts activists.

John Bryan, founding president of CultureWorks is the 2013 recipient of the Selina Roberts Ottum Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the local arts agency field.

The Creative Conversation will focus on how the business and arts sector can leverage their respective resources to achieve their most vital industry objectives.